Posted by Racer on October 23, 2004, at 17:19:45
In reply to Effexor and weight gain, posted by KDB on October 23, 2004, at 12:57:30
Did your doctor have you stop the Effexor all at once, or taper down? How long were you on it, and at what dose?
Effexor is known to have what's being called a "discontinuation syndrome" -- what the rest of us call "withdrawal" -- so you do have to taper down, some more slowly than others. What you're describing is pretty typical withdrawal from Effexor, and it's not going to be gone "within a week." Your doctor is a bit behind the times on that one, this is not new information.
While I didn't gain 75 pounds on it, and I was also taking Prozac at the same time, I did gain about 50 pounds while taking it. The good news on that front is that after a very, very slow tapering off, the weight was already starting to come off. Within a few months, I was almost back to my normal weight. That was with no real changes to diet or exercise, except what came from being a bit more active because the sedation was gone.
Let us know your dose and how long you were on it, and maybe someone here can suggest a better tapering schedule to you.
Good luck. And if you do stick with cold turkey, it will pass eventually. Just won't be fun while you're waiting.
poster:Racer
thread:406378
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041018/msgs/406428.html